real life

So often these days my dear friend Laura and I ask one another "Is this real life!?". It's almost become a joke now. Sometimes our lives are filled with such craziness that that we have to laugh and wonder if it's real. Even more often as of late, sometimes are lives are filled with such gifts and blessings from the Lord that we marvel at it. We can't believe it's real life... couldn't be.

Three days ago I laid all that was stressing me out on the table and fled town. Sometimes the Lord calls on our heart to go... I've been trying to explain what a refresh my soul needed and I can't put it into words. I needed a break before I broke and that time in the car with just the sunshine and the Lord was unbelievable.

When I drive, my bible and notebook get shotgun. Always. In a moment of being silly on Tuesday I said in my best preacher voice "Lord, show me your word!" (yes, outloud...) and flipped to a random page on the interstate. God's reminder to me?

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  -James 1:17

Amen.

The next few days looked a lot like this: sunshine. family. new friends. old friends. adventures. Jesus. peace. restoration. So many moments of laughing til you can't breathe. So good to see it all. I had some beautiful conversations about what the Lord has been doing and is continuing to do in my life. My soul was both wrecked and restored over the past few days. One of my favorite moments? Riding down the road with Daniel with the windows down and the music up as the sun set over the most beautiful field. Glory. So glad I get to live in Mississippi this summer. My how the Lord has changed my heart over the years.

God's shown me a lot over the past few days. Reading through the book of Isaiah and being constantly reminded of the beauty of Romans 5... Therefore, since we have been justified by faith....

But I'm back in Athens now. And if figures that after three days of beauty and sunshine, it would be unnaturally cold and rainy here today. But you know what? I'm loving it anyway. Because hey, the Lord's mercies are made new each morning. He makes the sunshine, He makes the rain. As I was reading in John chapter 2 this morning about Jesus turning the water to wine I thought about this:


"This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in Him." -John 2:11

The disciples put their faith in Him after seeing this initial miracle. They'd been following Him before that for just a little while but in this moment, they knew He was worthy of their faith. They were justified through faith... I can't help but think at this moment in time that the disciples must have shared the thought I've had so many times lately: Is this real life?!" Hello, they just watched a man turn water intended for washing into a wine that the master of the banquet complimented as being fine and worthy! They had to have been amazed. And shouldn't we be also? Daily? Does it change the way we view it because we know the ending to the story? I love the thought and the reality that we ought to wake up daily amazed at the fact that yes, this is real life. As I drove home yesterday I thought about the fact that it is daily real life that the King of the Universe sent his perfect son to die. For me. And you. And that's true. I'm still baffled by it most days but I think it plays into the idea of living in awe and amazement of God. It's real life... this is real life. Can it be? 

That might not have been deep and it might not have been theological, but it's the thoughts on my mind on this rainy and busy day. I'm both humbled and amazed that all that is going on in my life is real life right now... Every good and perfect gift. Praise His name.